Window-washing machine



Sept. 1953 M BRYSMAN 2,653,333

WINDOW-WASHING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. MOI SSEY BRYSMAN Sept. 29, 1953 M. BRYSMAN 7 2,653,333

WINDOW-WASHING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. MOISSEY BIZYSMAN Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW-WASHING MACHINE Moissey Brysman, New York, N. Y.

Application June 3, 1949, Serial No. 96,866

3 Claims.

My invention. relates to manually or poweroperated apparatus and devices for washing and wiping windows, and particularly to a windowwashing machine.

The main object of my invention is to provide means for mechanically washing and wiping windows safely and conveniently, especially on the outside from within a room in order to avoid the inconvenience and danger involved in washing the windows from the outside according to conventional methods.

Another object is to provide a window-washing machine whichmay be mounted on a window sill with the operating parts extending upwardly exteriorly of the Window to be washed, while the means for operating the-machine are accessible to the operator upon the window sill from within a room.

A further object is to provide such a windowwashing machine which is adjustable from one side to the other on the window sill for wide windows and also vertically adjustable for high windows.

It is also an object to have a machine of the indicated character capable of being operated by a person sitting before the window being washed and operating a crank or controlling a motor operating the machine.

A practical object is to make a machine for the present purpose which is simple in form, easy to operate and sufficiently light and portable to be readily shiftable from window to window as the washing of the latter proceeds.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a window-washing machine made according to the invention, and embodying the same in a practical form, the machine being seen in operative position through a window from the inside of the latter;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken. on line 4-4 in Figure. 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5-.-5 in Figure 2; I

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line B6 in Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a transverse section taken on line 'i l in Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation of detail;

Figure 9 is an elevation of the oscillating washing arm alone as modified and provided with means for wiping a window which has just been washed;

Figure 10 is a vertical section taken on line 13-40 in Figure 6.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

The washing of windows is well known as a more or less hazardous undertaking even in private homes, due to the necessity of climbing ladders or sitting on window sills for the purpose of washing the outsides of the windows, and it is equally well known that the method of washing windows on large buildings by professional window washers by being suspended from so-called safety belts many floors above the ground is highly hazardous to such an extent that many .people will not even attempt to clean such windows. At best, window washing always includes not only the washing of the windows on the inside from within a room, but also upon the outside surfaces of the window panes, and this is the hazardous feature dreaded by many and relished .by none, in View of the unavoidable danger involved.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a conveniently-operated mechanical apparatus should be available for placing upon a window sill by which it should be possible to wash the window upon the outside, either by mechanically cranking the apparatus, or driving the same by a motor. As a result, I have succeeded in producing a machine of this character, as will now be more fully explained.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to thedrawings, upon the sill H of a window frame l2 having a window sash 13 provided with a glass pane I 4 to be washed is mounted a supporting box l5 having a bracket I6 secured to the bottom thereof forming an anchoring plate extending inwardy over the sill from. box [5 and bent to form a U-shaped enveloping hook I! engaging the front edge and also the bottom of sil1 II in such fashion as to locate supporting box [5 definitely with respect to the window and prevent outward movement of the mentioned box. The anchoring plate [6 is provided with a slot l8 intermediate the side edges thereof, as best seen in Figure 3, with an adjusting bolt [9 extending upwardly through the slot and into the bottom 20 of supporting box [5 mentioned outer side 22.

upon which bottom a wing nut 2| on bolt l9 serves to hold plate l6 assembled with the supporting box in an adjustable position, so that it is possible to adjust the box outwardly or inwardly with respect to the window sill. If desired, the plate i6 may be extended beneath the entire bottom 2!] instead of merely beneath a portion thereof, as illustrated.

The outwardly-directed side 22 of supporting box i is lower than the ends 23, 24 thereof, and serves to slidably support a base member 25 which rests horizontally thereon and is provided with a guide rod 26 which at one end is formed into a hook 21 which extends into the end 28 of base member 25. The mentioned guide rod 26 engages slidably in a pair of clips 29, 29 which are secured to the upper inner edge of the outer end or side 22 of supporting box l5, in order to contribute to the proper position of the base mem her when sliding along the upper edge of the For the purpose of longitudinally sliding and thereby adjusting the base member 25 upon the outer end of supporting box l5, and thus longitudinally of the window sill II, a pair of plates 3!), 3| are secured to the box by screws 32 or the like. In these plates is fixed a bearing 33 for a manually operated means or hand crank 34 provided with a handle 35, the crank being rigidly connected, and even integral if preferred, with a feed screw 36 screwed into the base 25 in such fashion that rotation of the crank in one direction will adjust the mentioned base 25 horizontally into the position indicated at 31 in broken lines in Figure 1, while supporting box l5 remains stationary on window sill or if rotated in the opposite direction, the base will be adjusted from said indicated position at 31 to that shown in full lines in both Figures 1 and 3.

Upon base member 25 is fixed an upwardlyextending guide bar 38 of substantially rectangular cross-section. Upon the inner side of the upright guide bar 38 is mounted a rack 39 adjacent one edge thereof with the teeth 40 directed toward the opposite edge of the guide bar, the rack being preferably secured by means of screws 4E, 4| or the like. Upon the side edges are also secured a pair of narrower racks 42, 42 by means of further screws 43, 43 with the teeth 44 thereof directed outwardly. Upon the inner side of guide bar 38 is also connected a vertically disposed control box 45 for reciprocatory movement therealong, the box consisting of a front plate or wall 46 and a pair of angularly-bent side walls 41, 48 extending past the side edges of guide bar 38 in such fashion as to engage slidably upon the sides of racks 42. Upon the inner sides of side walls 41 and 48 are rotatably mounted two pairs of pinions 49, 49 meshing with the teeth 44 of both racks 42, being secured to the side walls 41 and 48 by means of pivot pins 50, 50. The traveling control box 45 thus resembles a short channel member with the side walls 41 and 48 thereof guided along the rear toothed edges of racks 42 at the sides of guide bar 38 in a vertical direction. Intermdiate the front and rear vertical edges of side wall 48 is integrally secured a supporting plate 5| in substantial parallelism with the front plate 46, and upon the inner end of which is rotatably mounted a gear 52 by means of a pivot pin or stud 53. Upon the gear 52, which is so arranged and disposed within the space between front plate 46 and intermediate plate 5| that the gear meshes with the teeth 40 on rack 39, a crank pin 54 is eccentrically fixed and directed toward the front plate. The eccentric crank pin 54 extends through the slot in the lower end of an operating arm 55 pivotally mounted above slot 55 by means of a pivot pin or shaft 51 extending through front and intermediate plates 46 and 5| above gear 52 in such position that when gear 52 is rotated, crank pin 54 traveling in slot 55 in the lower end of operating arm 55 will cause this operating arm to oscillate about the axis of pivot shaft 57. The upper end 58 of the operating arm is tubular and adapted to receive a narrow shank 59 of a sponge pad 60, having the upper end bent at an angle at GI and extending into a socket 52 upon the rear of the pad 6|] and secured in the socket by means of a set screw 63. Sponge pad 69 is provided with attached sponge material 64 adapted to engage directly against the window pane I4 of sash i3, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2. Through the presence of set screw 65 in the upper tubular end 58 of operating arm 56 (Figure 9), the shank 59 may be released from the operating arm and another shank 66 inserted which extends into a bracket 61 to which it is secured by a set screw 68, the bracket being fixed to a resilient rear plate 69 of a felt roll holder 70 provided with clamping fingers H, H between which is clamped a roll of felt or other absorbent material 12 adapted to be brought against the window pane M to wipe the same after washing has been performed by means of the sponge material 64 of sponge pad 65.

In order to provide for oscillation of operating arm 55 and progressive feeding of the sponge pad or holder 63 or felt roll i2 upwardly and downwardly along the window pane, a second manually-operated means or crank 13 provided with a handle 74 extends rotatably through a pair of upwardly-projecting bearing plates 15 fixed upon a base block 16 which in turn is secured to the lower end of the front face of upright guide bar 38 and base member 25. Between plates or bearing members 15, 15 is mounted a pulley ll on crank '13, and beneath this pulley is passed a cable i3, one end of this cable being extended upwardly and secured to the lower end of side wall 41 of traveling control box 45 by means of a depending hook 19 secured to the box, while at the other side the cable is passed upwardly into control box 45 within side wall 48 to engage with a roller 80, best seen in Figure 5, from which roller an upper length 3| of the cable is extended upwardly upon the front working face of guide bar 38 and passed over a groove roller 82 pivotally mounted upon a stud 83 on the guide bar so as to be rotatable thereon. From the upper roller or pulley 82 a downwardly-extending length 84 of the cable is attached at the lower end thereof to a second hook 85 secured to the upper portion of the previously-mentioned side wall 4? of traveling control box 45. The arrangement is primarily such that the cable is under suflicient tension so that substantially no play is present in the cable and the pulley and rollers engaged thereby, and, furthermore, so that rotation of crank 13 in clockwise direction, for example, will cause the upper right length 8| of the cable to travel downwardly about pulley H on crank '53, meanwhile shortening the left length 34 and raising control box 45 upwardly along guide bar 38. The immediate result is that during upward travel the gear 52 within control box 45 meshing with rack 33 will rotate and cause eccentric pin 54 thereof to rotate with it and travel through slot 55 in the lower end 56 of the operating arm to oscillate 1 h? latter about its pivot mounting 51, the sponge pad;:or.- holder Mien/shank 59: being; swung through successively higher arcs, as indicatediin vbrokenllines at, 86, from thefiposition shown in full lines in Figure l to that shown in broken lines at 81. When the operating arm and its upweirdly-extending. shank 59 approaches the side .88 of sash I3; the sponge pad will tend to turn upon its, upper bent shank portion 6! Lin socket 152 tobecome aligned with; the mentioned side 88, as indicated in brokenlines' at 89. When the ensemble is swung to the left, as indicated at 8?, a similar action will be produced, as partially indicated at 90. Thus, continuous rotation'of crank 13 first in one directionuntil control box 45 has'traveled up to'ithe upper limit possible when the sponge. holder 60 will begin to strike the upper inner edge of sash I3, then the crank is reversed and rotated in the opposite direction with the arm 56 and shank 59 with'sponge. holder 60 describing progressively lower arcs across the window pane, so that if soapsuds, water or any desirable detergent is used, the .window will be washed by the sponge material 64 on member 66. When the washing has thus been performed, the

shank 59 is removed and the other shank 66 inserted so that the sameperformance may befollowed with the felt roll 12 in order to wipe the window dry.

, Should the window be wider than the arc of movement of sponge member 66 and-felt roll I2, the machine is first placed in position so that at the right side washing will be performed up to the vertical inner edge 88 of sash I3, and when the washing has been performed both upwardly and downwardly again, adjusting crank 34, with its handle 35, is rotated to shift base member with its superposed guide bar 38 into the position indicated in broken lines at 31 already referred to, when a new area at theleft of that already washed will be. similarlywashed progressively upward and .then progressively downward with arcuate strokes, after which the drying may be performed in similar manner by mounting the roll holder 0 with the felt, roll .I'Zxengaging against the'pane I4. .As may be noted in Figure 9, themounting of the felt roll I2 is such that pressure exerted thereby against the window pane will cause the roll, which is preferably formed as a truncated cone, to be resiliently retracted into the position generally indicatedwith small windows which wouldscarcely allow the arcuate singing movement to be performed thereon byJthe oscillation of arm 56 and either sponge pad 66 or felt roll I2, and also facilities for washing higher windows than thosewhich would be reached by operating the apparatus as described, within thelimitation of the guide bar 38. The latter feature'will be dealt with first, and in connection therewith, as bestseen in Figure '7, the upwardly-projecting guide bar 38 is provided with a central slot 92 opening upwardly to the upper end of the guide bar in such fashion that a depending tongue 93 upon an'upward extension 64 of the guide bar may be inserted into the slot after temporarily removing the pivot pin 83 which may conveniently be a bolt, and when tongue 93 nut 96replaced, when the extension member at will form an upward extension of guide bar 38 which in all respects resembles the same for the purpose of causing control box 35 to travel up along the same. Thus, extension member es has a pair of side racks 91, 91 forming upward continuations of racks 42 on guide bar 38 and a main front rack 98 forming the upward continuation of previously-described front rack 39, so that gear 52 will engage with the teeth 96 thereof after leaving the upper end of rack 36, while the gears or pinions 49 of control box 45 will engage uponthe rear toothed edges of racks 9?. With respect to this extension, it may be noted that the upper end thereof may be provided with a roller or pulley similar to pulley 82, or the latter may be shifted to the upper portion thereof and then a longer cable than previously-described cable 18 may be used, the ends being connected to hooks i9 and on side wall 41 of control box 55.

I In connection with the other feature of the invention, it may not be necessary to have a further roller or pulley 82 upon the upward extension, and the same may be considered in connection with the first-described form of the invention without the extension equally well with the extended form having the extension member Q4 mounted thereon, as it refers to the possibility of reaching the corners of the Window involved and also washing small windows.

For the mentioned purpose, a pair of cleats virtually forming sockets M10, as best seen in Figures 5 and 10, are attached by screws, by brazing or welding, or in any other known manner, to the inner side of front plate 46 of traveling control box l5 with vertical apertures t ll receiving the lower ends I62 of a U-shaped supporting bracket I63 provided with a pair of stops 9 M determining a proper position of support member I03 with respect to cleats I66, and also control 100x45. As particularly shown in Figure 10, the bracket has an upper central widened portion Hi5 provided with a clamping fixture I06 of more or less well known construction secured thereto by means of a screw or bolt it? controlled on the far side thereof by means of a wing nut I68. The clamping fixture I66 is adapted to receive shank 59 of sponge holder 66 in any angular position of shank 59 desired, one such position being indicated in Figure 10, making it obvious that if operating crank I3 is rotated first in one direction, control box 45 will simply rise along guide bar 38 with operating arm 56 oscillating idly, while sponge pad or holder 60 simply rises vertically along the window pane up to the farthest corner thereof, and when the crank is then rotated in the opposite direction, it will again descend along the same path. If adjusting crank 34 is then rotated just sufficiently to bring sponge holder 66 slightly to one side of the first-mentioned position and the operating crank 13 then again operated first in one direction and then in the other, a further narrow strip of the window will be cleaned adjacent to the corner. Of course, if the angle of shank 59 is changed by momentarily releasing wing nut IE8 after each vertical stroke of the sponge member, successive strips will be washed without adjustment of crank 34.

If the traveling control box is raised to its uppermost position with respect to the window and the sponge holder engages along the upper edge thereof, it is also possible to shift the same horizontally along the window pane by operating the adjusting crank 34 to move the upper portion of the apparatus mounted on base member 25 toward the left, it being thus possible to wipe and wash the upper edge of the window pane in a straightline operation, although this is not as speedy as the vertical operation of the sponge holder or the felt roll. in any event, due to the fact that shank 59 may be adjusted upon support bracket Hi3 without oscillation of the mentioned shank, but merely involving vertical travel thereof, it is readily seen that even small windows may be cleaned and also the more or less inaccessible upper corners of the window panes may readily be reached and washed.

When the support member 93 is removed by lifting it from cleats [30, the shank 59 may be restored to the oscillating operating arm 56 by inserting it into the upper tubular end 53 thereof and fixing it in position by means of set screw 55, when the machine will again be restored to its original operating condition.

Naturally, the machine may be made of any suitable material, such as partially or completely of metal, with some parts of wood or plastic, and any materials will serve that are capable of holding their shape and providing a reliable operating structure.

The main desideratum involved with respect to the materials used for constructing the machine is, of course, lightness aside from practicability, so that it will. be possible to shift the washing machine from one window to another without any serious trouble or inconvenience. In order to facilitate such shifting, the end walls or sides 23 and 24 of the supporting box IE are provided with a buckle E09 and i it, respectively, strap I Hi being of sufficient length to go over the shoulders of an operator and be connected to the buckle in order to carry the machine to the window to be Washed when the supporting box with its plate It may be deposited on the window sill involved, and the curved or hooked portion ii is pushed into engagement with the edge of the window sill after having opened the sash it, for example, suf= ficiently to first extend the guide member or bar 33 outwardly and then upwardly outside the window, when the strap may be released from buckle 59% and allowed to drop aside idly, after which the sash it is closed down toward base member 25. For such operation the sponge portion 64 of sponge holder Ed is, of course, attended to prior to placing the apparatus into position, or at least prior to lowering the sash for washing the outside of the pane thereof. When the entire procedure has been followed through and the window is washed and dried, plate It with its hooked portion i7 is disengaged from the window sill, sash it being raised to its highest position, when the apparatus is again supported by strap H being looped over the shoulders and brought down into connection with buckle Hi9 and the machine then carried to the next window, or when all the windows have been washed, to a storage closet.

Although members 62 on the guide bar 38 have been described as racks and traction members at riding along the same are described as pinions, the racks could be simple rails and the pinions be rollers, and these terms are to be considered interchangeable for the present purpose.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A window-washing apparatus comprising a supporting member adapted to be secured to the sill of a window to be washed, a horizontally disposed base member superimposed longitudinally of and connected to said supporting member for sliding longitudinal movement, an upstanding guide bar fixed on said base member, a vertically disposed control box including a front wall and a pair of side walls secured to the front wall arranged so that the front wall is parallel to and spaced from said guide bar with the side walls extending beyond said guide bar, means connecting said control box to said guide bar for reciprocatory movement therealong, said means comprising a toothed rack extending longitudinally along and secured to the face of said guide bar adjacent said front wall, another toothed rack extending longitudinally along each end edge of said guide bar and having one side edge secured to said guide bar and having the other side edge slidably engaged by the adjacent side wall, rotatable pinions carried by the portions of said side walls inwardly of the face of said guide bar remote from said front wall and in meshing engagement with said other racks, and a rotatable gear intermediate said front wall and the face of said guide bar adjacent thereto and supported from one of said side walls and in meshing engagement with said toothed rack, an upstanding cleaning element operatively connected to said control box, a manually operated means operatively connected to said base member for effecting the sliding movement of the latter, and a second manually operated means operatively connected to the said control box for effecting the reciprocatory movement of the latter.

2. A window-washing apparatus comprising a supporting member adapted to be secured to the sill of a window to be washed, a horizontally disposed base member superimposed longitudinally of and connected to said supporting member for sliding longitudinal movement, an upstanding uide bar fixed on said base member, a vertically disposed control box including a front wall and a pair of side walls secured to the front wall arranged so that the front wall is parallel to and spaced from said guide bar with the side walls extending beyond said guide bar, means connecting said control box to said guide bar for reciprocatory movement therealong, said means comprising a toothed rack extending longitudinally along and secured to the face of said guide bar adjacent said front wall, another toothed rack extending longitudinally along each end edge of said guide bar and having one side edge secured to said guide bar and having the other side edge slidably engaged by the adjacent side wall, rotatable pinions carried by the portions of said side walls inwardly of the face of said guide bar remote from said front wall and in meshing engagement with said other racks, and a rotatable gear intermediate said front wall and the face of said guide bar adjacent thereto and supported from one of said side walls and in meshing engagement with said toothed rack, an upstanding arm, means connecting the lower end of said arm to said gear for oscillatory movement responsive to the reciprocatory movement of said control box, said last named means comprising a crank pin eccentrically disposed with respect to the face of said gear adjacent said front wall and secured to the latter face of said gear, said arm being pivotally connected adjacent the lower end to said front wall, there being a longitudinal slot in said arm intermediate its pivotal connection with said front wall and the lower end thereof slidably receiving said crank pin, an upstanding cleaning element operatively connected to the upper end of said arm, manually operated means operatively connected to said base member for effecting the sliding movement of the latter, and a second manually operated means operatively connected to said control box for effecting the reciprocatory movement of the latter.

3. A window-washing apparatus comprising a supporting member adapted to be secured to the sill of a window to be washed, a horizontally disposed base member superimposed longitudinally of and connected to said supporting member for sliding longitudinal movement, an upstanding guide bar having the lower end fixed on said base member, an extension member projecting from and carried by the upper end of said guide bar, a vertically disposed control box including a front wall and a pair of side walls secured to the front wall arranged so that the front wall is parallel to and spaced from said guide bar with the side walls extending beyond said guide bar, means connecting said control box to said guide bar and extension member for reciprocatory movement therealong, said means comprising a toothed rack extending longitudinally along and secured to the face of said guide bar adjacent said front wall, another toothed rack extending longitudi nally along each end edge of said guide bar and having one side edge secured to said guide bar and having the other side edge slidably engaged by the adjacent side wall, rotatable pinions carried by the portions of said side walls inwardly of the face of said guide bar remote from said front wall and in meshing engagement with said other racks, and a rotatable gear intermediate said front wall and the face of said guide bar adjacent thereto and supported from one of said side Walls and in meshing engagement with said toothed rack, an upstanding arm, means connecting the lower end of said arm to said gear for oscillatory movement responsive to the reciprocatory movement of said control box, said last named means comprising a crank pin eccentrically disposed with respect to the face of said gear adjacent said front wall and secured to the latter face of said gear, said arm being pivotally connected adjacent the lower end to said front wall, there being a longitudinal slot in said arm intermediate its pivotal connection with said front wall and the lower end thereof slidably receiving said crank pin, an upstanding cleaning element operatively connected to the upper end of said arm, manually operated means operatively connected to said base member for effecting the sliding movement of the latter, and a second manually operated means operatively connected to said control box for effecting the reciprocatory movement of the latter. 

